TW202004847A - Reduced pressure drying apparatus and reduced pressure drying method - Google Patents

Abstract

Issue of the invention is to provide a technique of reducing the occurrence of non-uniform drying while drying a processing liquid on a substrate by utilizing reduced pressure. A bottom surface 100 inside a chamber 10 is disposed with a recess portion 12, and an exhaust port 14 is disposed on a bottom surface 120 of the recess portion 12. A first rectification plate 30 is provided at a position overlapping the exhaust port 14 in a Z-axis direction (a depth direction of the recess portion 12) inside a containing space 10S. A second rectification plate 40 is disposed at a position overlapping an end portion (-X side end portion 32a or +X side end portion 32b) of the first rectification plate 30 and an inner edge portion (-X side end portion 124a or +X side end portion 124b) of the recess portion 12 in a Z-axis direction (a depth direction of the recess portion 12). A plurality of holding portions 52 holds the substrate 9 at a position (an upper position L1 or a lower position L2) above the first rectification plate 30 and the second rectification plate 40.

Description

Vacuum drying device and vacuum drying method

The present invention relates to a reduced-pressure drying device and a reduced-pressure drying method, and particularly to a technique of drying a processing liquid applied on a substrate. The substrates to be processed include, for example, semiconductor substrates, liquid crystal display devices, organic EL (Electroluminescence; electroluminescence) display devices, FPD (Flat Panel Display) substrates, optical disc substrates, magnetic disc substrates, Substrates for optical disks, substrates for photomasks, ceramic substrates, substrates for solar cells, printed circuit boards, etc.

In the past, as a substrate processing apparatus (for example, a liquid crystal panel manufacturing apparatus, etc.), a reduced-pressure drying apparatus that performs a reduced-pressure drying process on a substrate coated with a processing liquid on its surface has been known. For example, in the photolithography step, there is the use of reduced pressure in order to properly dry the coating film of the resist solution applied on the substrate to be processed such as a glass substrate before pre-baking The situation of the drying device.

Conventionally, a typical reduced-pressure drying apparatus, for example, as described in Patent Document 1, after horizontally placing a substrate on a substrate support member disposed at an appropriate height in an openable and closable chamber, the chamber is closed to perform Drying treatment under reduced pressure (for example, refer to Patent Documents 1 and 2).

In such a reduced-pressure drying process, first, the vacuum in the chamber is evacuated by an external vacuum pump through an exhaust port provided in the chamber. By this vacuum evacuation, the pressure in the chamber changes from the atmospheric pressure state at that time to the reduced pressure state, and in this reduced pressure state, the solvent component evaporates from the resist coating film on the substrate. At the time when the pressure in the chamber is reduced to a certain pressure, the decompression in the chamber is completed, and thereafter, an inert gas (such as nitrogen) or air is sprayed or diffused from a supply port provided in the chamber to cause The pressure in the chamber returns to atmospheric pressure (re-pressure the chamber). If pressure is restored in the chamber, the chamber is opened and the substrate is removed from the chamber.

In the case of vacuum exhaust in the chamber, generally speaking, the closer to the exhaust port, the greater the flow rate of the ambient gas. When the flow rate is high, there is a possibility that the surface state of the processing liquid on the substrate will be disturbed, and there is a possibility that uneven drying occurs. In Patent Document 1, the middle plate is provided above the exhaust port provided at the bottom of the chamber. The exhaust port is covered by the middle plate to form an exhaust path through the middle plate and the bottom of the chamber to the exhaust port. In addition, Patent Document 2 also describes a case where a rectifying plate is arranged above an exhaust port provided at the bottom.

[Prior Technical Literature] [Patent Literature]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-320949

[Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-47582

In the above-mentioned conventional technology, since the ambient gas is sucked from the gap between the peripheral end of the middle plate and the side wall of the chamber, the flow rate of the ambient gas in the area close to the gap becomes larger. Therefore, by disposing the substrate on the periphery of the gap, there is a possibility that the processing liquid on the substrate may be unevenly dried, and there is room for improvement.

The present invention aims to provide a technique for reducing the occurrence of unevenness in the drying of the processing liquid when the processing liquid on the substrate is dried under reduced pressure.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the first aspect is a reduced-pressure drying device for drying the processing liquid present on the first main surface of the substrate having the first main surface and the second main surface by decompression; : Frame body, which has a storage space that can accommodate the substrate, and has a first surface facing the storage space; a concave portion, which is provided on the first surface; an exhaust port, which is provided in the depth direction of the concave portion Bottom surface; a suction mechanism that sucks the ambient gas of the storage space through the exhaust port; a first member that is disposed at a position in the storage space that overlaps the exhaust port in the depth direction; second A member, which is disposed at a position spaced apart from the end of the first member and the inner edge of the recess in the depth direction along the depth direction in the storage space, and in the depth direction from the end and the inner edge A position where they overlap; and a substrate holding portion that holds the substrate in the storage space at a position opposite to the exhaust port with respect to the first member and the second member.

The second aspect is in the reduced-pressure drying device of the first aspect, wherein the substrate holding portion includes a plurality of pins that support the second main surface of the substrate.

The third aspect is in the vacuum drying apparatus of the second aspect, the plurality of pins includes: a plurality of first pins, which are arranged along the first direction; and a plurality of second pins, which are equal to The plurality of first pins are arranged along the first direction at intervals in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction; the second member is arranged on the plurality of first pins and the plurality of second pins Between pins.

The fourth aspect is in the reduced-pressure drying device of any one of the first aspect to the third aspect, and further includes: a moving driving section that moves the plurality of pins in the depth direction by moving the plurality of pins, The substrate is moved between the position of the first substrate and the position of the second substrate closer to the exhaust port than the position of the first substrate.

The fifth aspect is in the reduced-pressure drying device of the fourth aspect, after the movement driving section starts to suck the ambient gas in the storage space through the exhaust port after the suction mechanism starts to move the substrate from the first The substrate position moves toward the second substrate position.

The sixth aspect is in the reduced-pressure drying device of any of the first aspect to the fifth aspect, and the first member is provided between the second member and the exhaust port.

The seventh aspect is in the reduced-pressure drying device of the sixth aspect, wherein at least a part of the first member is located in the concave portion.

The eighth aspect is in the reduced-pressure drying device of the seventh aspect, in which all the first members are located in the concave portion.

The ninth aspect is in the reduced-pressure drying device of the eighth aspect, wherein the end portion and the inner edge portion are on the same plane.

The tenth aspect is in the reduced-pressure drying device of any one of the first aspect to the ninth aspect, wherein the substrate holding portion holds the substrate with the first main surface in a horizontal posture in the vertical direction The first member, the second member, and the exhaust port are located on the second main surface side of the substrate held by the substrate holding portion.

The eleventh aspect is a reduced-pressure drying method for drying the processing liquid present on the first main surface of the substrate having the first main surface and the second main surface by decompression; it has: a first step, which Carrying the substrate into the storage space having a storage space and a frame facing the first surface of the storage space; and a second step, after the first step, through a recess provided in the first surface The exhaust port on the bottom surface in the depth direction sucks the ambient gas in the storage space; the second step includes: by being disposed in the storage space at a position overlapping the exhaust port in the depth direction A step of changing the direction of the airflow toward the exhaust port by the first member; and by being disposed in the storage space and both the end of the first member and the inner edge of the recess along the depth direction The step of changing the direction of the airflow toward the exhaust port by the second member at a spaced position and a position overlapping with both the end portion and the inner edge portion in the depth direction.

According to the decompression drying apparatus of the first aspect, since the upper part of the exhaust port is covered by the first member, when the ambient gas in the storage space is exhausted, the ambient gas above the first member can be prevented from being directed toward the exhaust port Inhaled directly. In addition, since the gap between the edge of the recess and the end of the first member is covered by the second member, it is possible to prevent the ambient gas above the second member from being directly sucked into the gap. By these effects, since the flow rate of the ambient gas around the substrate can be reduced, the occurrence of uneven drying of the processing liquid can be reduced.

According to the reduced-pressure drying device of the second aspect, since the second main surface is supported by a plurality of pins, the contact area can be reduced, and thus the occurrence of uneven drying of the treatment liquid due to the contact of the support members can be suppressed.

According to the reduced-pressure drying device of the third aspect, the direction of the airflow toward the exhaust port can be changed between the first pin and the second pin.

According to the reduced-pressure drying device of the fourth aspect, the substrate can be moved between the position of the first substrate far away from the exhaust port and the position of the second substrate close to the exhaust port. Therefore, the position of the substrate can be adjusted according to the velocity of the ambient gas sucked in by the exhaust port.

According to the decompression drying apparatus of the fifth aspect, the substrate can be arranged at a position away from the exhaust port where the airflow is faster after the decompression in the storage space starts, and the flow velocity near the exhaust port can be reduced After the pressure is lowered, the substrate is brought close to the exhaust port, thereby suppressing the influence of the flow velocity. In addition, by bringing the substrate close to the exhaust port, the reduced-pressure drying of the processing liquid can be promoted.

According to the reduced-pressure drying device of the sixth aspect, the first member is arranged closer to the exhaust port than the second member. In the vicinity of the exhaust port where the air flow becomes larger, the first member suppresses the direct intake of ambient gas toward the exhaust port. Therefore, the influence of the air flow when drying the processing liquid on the first main surface of the substrate can be reduced, and uneven drying of the processing liquid can be suppressed.

According to the reduced-pressure drying device of the seventh aspect, since at least a part of the first member is located in the recess, the portion where the first member is exposed outside the recess can be made smaller. Thereby, the space in which the substrate can be arranged in the storage space can be largely ensured.

According to the reduced-pressure drying apparatus of the eighth aspect, since all the first members are located in the concave portion, a space where the substrate can be arranged in the storage space can be largely secured.

According to the reduced-pressure drying device of the ninth aspect, since the end of the first member and the inner edge of the recess are on the same plane, when ambient gas passes through the gap between the end of the first member and the inner edge of the recess, It can reduce the chaos of airflow.

According to the decompression drying apparatus of the tenth aspect, in a state where the surface of the substrate where the processing liquid is present is arranged upward in the vertical direction, the ambient gas in the storage space is sucked through the exhaust port, thereby allowing the surroundings of the substrate The ambient gas moves downward in the vertical direction.

According to the reduced-pressure drying method of the eleventh aspect, since the upper part of the exhaust port is covered by the first member, when the ambient gas in the storage space is exhausted, the ambient gas above the first member can be prevented from being directed toward the exhaust port Inhaled directly. In addition, since the gap between the edge of the recess and the end of the first member is covered by the second member, it is possible to prevent the ambient gas above the second member from being directly sucked into the gap. By these effects, since the flow rate of the ambient gas around the substrate can be reduced, the occurrence of uneven drying of the processing liquid can be reduced.

1. 1A‧‧‧Decompression drying device

9‧‧‧ substrate

10‧‧‧ chamber (frame)

10P‧‧‧Opening and closing department

10S‧‧‧ containment space

12‧‧‧recess

12a‧‧‧-X side concave part

12b‧‧‧+X undercut

14‧‧‧Exhaust

20‧‧‧Suction mechanism

30‧‧‧First rectifier plate (first member)

30a‧‧‧-X side first rectifier board

30b‧‧‧+X side first rectifier board

32a‧‧‧-X side end

32b‧‧‧+X side end

34a‧‧‧-X side clearance

34b‧‧‧+X side clearance

40, 40a, 40b, 40c, 40d ‧‧‧ 2nd rectifier plate (second member)

50‧‧‧ Lifting mechanism

52, 52a, 52b ‧‧‧ support part (substrate holding part)

54‧‧‧Elevating drive unit (mobile drive unit)

70‧‧‧Control Department

80‧‧‧ Finger

90‧‧‧upper surface

100‧‧‧Bottom (1st side)

102‧‧‧Outer surface

104‧‧‧ Wall

120‧‧‧Bottom

122‧‧‧Inner wall

124a‧‧‧-X side edge (inner edge)

124b‧‧‧+X side edge (inner edge)

520‧‧‧Lifting board

522‧‧‧pin

L1‧‧‧Up position (1st board position)

L2‧‧‧lower position (second board position)

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing the interior of the chamber 10 of the vacuum drying apparatus 1 of the embodiment as viewed from above in the vertical direction.

FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing the inside of the chamber 10 of the reduced-pressure drying device 1 of the embodiment that does not include four second rectifying plates 40 and the elevating mechanism 50 from above in the vertical direction.

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the reduced-pressure drying device 1 taken along the line A-A of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the reduced-pressure drying device 1 when the substrate 9 to be processed is carried in.

FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the reduced-pressure drying device 1 when exhausting is started.

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the reduced-pressure drying device 1 when a predetermined time has passed after the start of exhaust.

7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the reduced-pressure drying apparatus 1 when the processed substrate 9 is carried out to the outside.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a reduced-pressure drying device 1A according to a modification.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, the constituent elements described in this embodiment are merely examples, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention to such constituent elements. In the drawings, for easy understanding, there are cases where the size or number of each part is illustrated exaggeratedly or simply as needed.

Unless otherwise specified, the expression of relative or absolute positional relationship (such as "in one direction", "along one direction", "parallel", "orthogonal", "center", "concentric", "coaxial" ", etc.) not only strictly indicate the positional relationship, but also indicate the relative displacement of the angle or distance within the range of tolerances or functions of the same degree. Unless otherwise specified, the expression of equal states (such as "same", "equal", "homogeneous", etc.) is not only a quantitatively strictly equal state, but also means that there is tolerance or the same The state of poor function of the degree. Unless otherwise specified, the expression of the shape (such as "quadrilateral" or "cylindrical", etc.) is not only a strict representation of these geometric shapes, but also to the extent that the same degree of efficacy can be obtained, It also means a shape having irregularities or chamfers, for example. The expression "installation", "have", "have", "include" or "have" one constituent element is not an exclusive expression that excludes the existence of other constituent elements. Unless otherwise specified, the so-called "~above", in addition to the case where two components are connected, also includes the case where two components are separated.

<1. Embodiment form>

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing the interior of the chamber 10 of the vacuum drying apparatus 1 of the embodiment as viewed from above in the vertical direction. Fig. 2 is a schematic plan view showing the inside of the chamber 10 of the decompression drying apparatus 1 of the embodiment without four second rectifying plates 40 and the lifting mechanism 50 viewed from above in the vertical direction. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the reduced-pressure drying device 1 taken along the line A-A of FIG. 1.

In each figure, in order to clarify the positional relationship of each part of the reduced-pressure drying device 1, X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis are indicated. In this example, the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction are horizontal directions, and the Z-axis direction is a vertical direction. In each axis, the direction that the front end of the arrow faces is the + (positive) direction, and the opposite direction is the-(negative) direction. Set the upward direction of the vertical direction to "+Z direction" and the downward direction to "-Z direction". The positional relationship of each part described below is only an example and is not intended to be limited to such positional relationship.

The reduced-pressure drying device 1 includes a chamber 10. The chamber 10 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and is a frame body having an accommodating space 10S therein. The reduced-pressure drying device 1 accommodates the substrate 9 in the storage space 10S, and performs a reduced-pressure drying process for drying the processing liquid applied on the upper surface 90 (first main surface) of the substrate 9 by decompression.

An opening and closing portion 10P is provided in a portion of the side wall of the chamber 10 on the +Y side near the +Z side. The opening and closing portion 10P is formed between the outside of the chamber 10 and the receiving space 10S of the chamber 10 to pass through the opening of the substrate 9. In addition, the opening and closing portion 10P closes the opening to block the outside from the storage space 10S, so that the substrate 9 cannot pass through.

The chamber 10 has a bottom surface 100 facing the storage space 10S. The bottom surface 100 becomes a horizontal plane. Four concave portions 12 are provided on the bottom surface 100. The four concave portions 12 include two -X side concave portions 12a arranged on the -X side, and two +X side concave portions 12b arranged on the +X side.

The number of recesses 12 is not limited to four, and can be arbitrarily changed. For example, only one recess 12 may be provided.

In the following, the description will focus on one recess 12. The recess 12 has a shape recessed from the bottom surface 100 in the -Z direction. The recess 12 is rectangular when viewed from above in the vertical direction, but it is not necessary. The bottom surface 120 of the recess 12 in the depth direction (Z-axis direction) becomes a horizontal plane. The concave portion 12 has an inner wall surface 122 that rises upward in the vertical direction from the outer peripheral portion of the bottom surface 120. The inner wall surface 122 has a portion extending in the vertical direction so as to be perpendicular to the bottom surface 120. By the inner wall surface 122 extending in the vertical direction, the flow of the ambient gas toward the exhaust port 14 can be rectified into the vertical direction.

An exhaust port 14 is provided on the bottom surface 120 of the recess 12. That is, the reduced-pressure drying device 1 has four exhaust ports 14. The exhaust port 14 is connected to the storage space 10S via the recess 12. The exhaust port 14 is connected to the suction mechanism 20. The suction mechanism 20 has a vacuum pump (not shown) that operates in response to a control command from the control unit 70. The suction mechanism 20 sucks the ambient gas in the storage space 10S through the exhaust port 14 according to the control command and discharges it to the outside.

The reduced-pressure drying device 1 includes four first flow straightening plates 30 (first members). In this example, one first rectifying plate 30 is arranged inside each of the four recesses 12. The four first rectifying plates 30 include two each arranged inside one of the two -X side recesses 12a. One -X-side first rectifying plate 30a and one each of two +X-side first rectifying plates 30b are arranged inside the two +X-side concave portions 12b, respectively.

Each first rectifying plate 30 is arranged at a position overlapping the exhaust port 14 in the Z-axis direction in the storage space 10S. That is, for each first rectifying plate 30, when the first rectifying plate 30 and the exhaust port 14 are seen through from above in the vertical direction toward the vertical direction downward (-Z direction), the first rectifying plate 30 is It is arranged at a position overlapping the exhaust port 14 in the storage space 10S. The first rectifying plate 30 is arranged at a distance from the exhaust port 14 in the Z-axis direction. The first rectifying plate 30 is a plate-shaped member, which is smaller than the opening of each concave portion 12 when viewed in the depth direction, and larger than the opening of each exhaust port 14. The first rectifying plate 30 is arranged in a posture parallel to the horizontal plane. That is, when the first rectifier plate 30, the recessed portion 12, and the exhaust port 14 are seen through from above in the vertical direction to the vertical direction (-Z direction), the first rectifier plate 30 is smaller than the opening of the recessed portion 12, And it is larger than the opening of the exhaust port 14. Furthermore, the opening of the recess 12 is a part of the space in the recess 12 connected to the space above the recess 12 in the accommodation space 10S, and the opening of the exhaust port 14 is the space in the exhaust port 14 connected to the recess 12 Part of the space.

The entirety of each first rectifying plate 30 is arranged in the corresponding concave portion 12. In this example, the upper surface of each first fairing plate 30 is at the same height as the outer surface 102 of the end including the corresponding recess 12. The upper surface of each first rectifying plate 30 is flush with the outer surface 102, and the outer surface 102 includes an inner edge portion of the bottom surface 100 serving as an inner edge portion of the corresponding concave portion 12 surrounding each concave portion 12. That is, the upper surface of the first rectifying plate 30 and the outer surface 102 are located on the same plane, and the outer surface 102 includes the bottom surface 100 as the inner edge portion of the recess 12 corresponding to the first rectifying plate 30 surrounding each The inner edge portion around the concave portion 12. In this way, by providing the first rectifying plate 30 in the concave portion 12, the space in which the substrate 9 can be placed in the storage space 10S can be increased. In addition, the length dimension in the Z-axis direction of the storage space 10S can be reduced.

Furthermore, a part of the first rectifying plate 30 may be in the concave portion 12 and on the bottom surface 120 side (-Z side) from the outer surface 102. That is, a part of the first rectifying plate 30 may be outside the concave portion 12 and above the outer surface 102 (+Z side). In this way, even if it is a part, by putting the first rectifying plate 30 into the concave portion 12, the length of the chamber 10 in the Z-axis direction can be reduced.

The first rectifying plate 30 has a gap with the rectangular inner edge of the recess 12. In detail, a -X side gap 34a is provided between the -X side end portion 32a of the first rectifier plate 30 and the -X side edge portion 124a of the concave portion 12, and the +X side end portion of the first rectifier plate 30 A +X side gap 34b is provided between 32b and the +X side edge portion 124b of the concave portion 12. The -X side end 32a is located at the -X side end of the first rectifying plate 30, the -X side edge 124a is located at the -X side edge of the recess 12, and the +X side end 32b is located at the first rectification The end of the plate 30 on the +X side, and the +X side edge 124b is located on the edge of the recess 12 on the +X side.

The reduced-pressure drying device 1 is provided with four second rectifying plates 40 (second members). The four second rectifying plates 40 include the second rectifying plates 40a, 40b, 40c, and 40d in order from the -X side to the +X side. That is, from the -X side toward the +X side, the second rectifying plate 40a, the second rectifying plate 40b, the second rectifying plate 40c, and the second rectifying plate 40d are arranged in the order described here. The four second rectifying plates 40a, 40b, 40c, and 40d are rectangular plates, respectively. The four second rectifying plates 40a, 40b, 40c, and 40d have the same length dimension in the Y-axis direction. In addition, the two second rectifying plates 40a and 40d have the same width dimension in the X-axis direction, and the two second rectifying plates 40b and 40c have the same width dimension in the X-axis direction. The two second rectifying plates 40a and 40d are arranged at intervals along the X-axis direction, and two second rectifying plates 40b and 40c are arranged between the two. The two second rectifying plates 40b and 40c are also arranged at a distance from each other along the X-axis direction. The two second rectifying plates 40a and 40b are also arranged at intervals in the X-axis direction. The two second rectifying plates 40c and 40d are also arranged at a distance from each other along the X-axis direction.

Each of the second fairing plates 40a, 40b, 40c, and 40d is spaced apart from each other along the Z-axis direction with respect to both the outer peripheral end portion of the first fairing plate 30 and the outer surface 102, and is provided in the Z-axis direction overlapping position. That is, when the second rectifier plates 40a, 40b, 40c, 40d, the first rectifier plate 30, and the outer surface 102 are seen through from the upper side in the vertical direction toward the vertical direction (-Z direction), the second rectifier The plates 40a, 40b, 40c, and 40d are arranged at positions that overlap with both the outer peripheral end of the first fairing plate 30 and the inner edge of the recess 12 in the storage space 10S.

For example, the second rectifier plate 40a located on the most -X side includes two -X-side end portions 32a on the Z-axis direction including two -X-side first rectifier plates 30a, and two opposite- The portion of the outer surface 102 of the X-side concave portion 12a-the X-side edge portion 124a (inner edge portion) overlaps. That is, when the second rectifier plate 40a, the first rectifier plate 30, and the outer surface 102 are seen through from above in the vertical direction toward the vertical direction (-Z direction), the second rectifier plate 40a is disposed in the housing In the space 10S, two -X side end portions 32a facing the two -X side first rectifying plates 30a, and two -X side recesses 12a facing the -X side edge portions facing the -X side end portions 32a, respectively The position where the two sides of 124a overlap. That is, the second rectifying plate 40a covers the upper portion of the -X side gap 34a of the two -X side concave portions 12a.

In the Z-axis direction, the second rectifying plate 40b includes the +X side end 32b of the two -X side first rectifying plates 30a and the +X side edges of the two -X side concave portions 12a facing these The portion of the outer surface 102 of the portion 124b (inner edge portion) overlaps. That is, when the second rectifier plate 40b, the first rectifier plate 30, and the outer surface 102 are seen through from above in the vertical direction to the vertical direction (-Z direction), the second rectifier plate 40b is disposed in the housing In the space 10S, the +X side end portions 32b of the two -X side first rectifier plates 30a and the +X side edge portions 124b of the two -X side concave portions 12a facing the +X side end portions 32b are respectively opposed Where the two sides overlap. That is, the second rectifying plate 40b covers the +X side gap 34b of the two -X side concave portions 12a.

In the Z-axis direction, the second rectifying plate 40c includes a -X side end portion 32a including two +X side first rectifying plates 30b and two -X side concave portions 12b facing the -X side edges The portion of the outer surface 102 of the portion 124a (inner edge portion) overlaps. That is, when the second rectifier plate 40c, the first rectifier plate 30, and the outer surface 102 are seen through from above in the vertical direction toward the vertical direction (-Z direction), the second rectifier plate 40c is disposed in the housing In the space 10S, two -X side end portions 32a of the two +X side first rectifier plates 30b and two +X side recesses 12b facing the -X side of the +X side end portions 32a are respectively opposed The position where both sides of the edge 124a overlap. That is, the second rectifying plate 40c covers the upper side of the -X side gap 34a of the two +X side recesses 12b.

The second rectifier plate 40d located on the most +X side includes a +X side end portion 32b including two +X side first rectifier plates 30b in the Z-axis direction and two +X side concave portions facing these The portion of the outer surface 102 of the +X side edge portion 124b (inner edge portion) of 12b overlaps. That is, when the second rectifier plate 40d, the first rectifier plate 30, and the outer surface 102 are seen through from the upper side in the vertical direction to the vertical direction downward (-Z direction), the second rectifier plate 40d is disposed in the housing In the space 10S, the +X side end portions 32b of the two +X side first rectifying plates 30b and the +X side edge portions of the two +X side concave portions 12b facing the +X side end portions 32b are respectively opposed The position where the two sides of 124b overlap. That is, the second rectifying plate 40d covers the +X side gap 34b of the two +X side recesses 12b.

The lifting mechanism 50 supports the substrate 9 above the plurality of second rectifying plates 40 and moves the substrate 9 up and down in the vertical direction. The lifting mechanism 50 includes six support parts 52 and a lifting drive part 54.

The six support portions 52 are arranged on the side opposite to the exhaust port 14 with respect to the first fairing plate 30. That is, the six support portions 52 and the exhaust port 14 are arranged at positions opposite to each other across the first rectifying plate 30. The six support portions 52 include three support portions 52a and three support portions 52b. The support parts 52a and 52b respectively include a lift plate 520 extending in the Y-axis direction, and a plurality of pins 522 arranged at intervals on the one lift plate 520 in the Y-axis direction. In this example, one support portion 52a and 52b are arranged in the storage space 10S at the position on the -X side, the center in the X-axis direction, and the position on the +X side, respectively. Viewed from above in the vertical direction, between the second rectifier plate 40a and the second rectifier plate 40b, between the second rectifier plate 40b and the second rectifier plate 40c, and between the second rectifier plate 40c and the second rectifier plate 40d One support part 52a, 52b each is arrange|positioned. The substrate 9 is held on the opposite side of the exhaust port 14 with respect to the first fairing plate 30 and the second fairing plate 40 by being supported on the upper end portions of the plural pins 522 provided in the support section 52a or the support section 52b position. That is, the substrate 9 is held at a position opposite to the exhaust port 14 based on the first rectifying plate 30 and the second rectifying plate 40.

The elevating drive portion 54 is connected to the elevating plate 520 of each of the three support portions 52a and the three support portions 52b, and individually raises and lowers these in the vertical direction. The driving force of the elevating driving unit 54 as the moving driving unit may also be transmitted through a rod-shaped member (not shown) that is connected to the lower surface of the elevating plate 520 through the bottom surface 100 of the chamber 10. By the driving force of the elevating driving portion 54, the supporting portion 52a and the supporting portion 52b respectively move up and down in the vertical direction. In addition, two or more support parts 52 of the six support parts 52 may be directly connected in such a manner that they can be raised and lowered integrally. For example, the three support portions 52a may be connected to each other to integrally raise and lower. In addition, the three support portions 52b may be connected to each other to integrally move up and down. In such a case, since the operating shaft (rod-shaped member) of the lift drive unit 54 can be reduced, the structure of the lift drive unit 54 can be simplified.

The plurality of pins 522 included in the support portion 52a are arranged differently from the positions of the plurality of pins 522 included in the support portion 52b in the Y-axis direction. The reason is to correspond to substrates 9 of various sizes. In addition, the position of each pin 522 is not limited to this, and can be set arbitrarily.

For example, the plurality of pins 522 included in the support portion 52a on the -X side is an example of the plurality of first pins arranged in the Y-axis direction. The plurality of pins 522 included in the support portion 52a at the center in the X-axis direction are arranged along the Y-axis direction at intervals with respect to the plurality of pins 522 included in the support portion 52a on the -X side along the X-axis direction An example of multiple second pins. The second rectifying plate 40b is an example of a second member disposed between the plurality of first pins and the plurality of second pins.

In addition, the plural pins 522 included in the support portion 52a in the center in the X-axis direction are examples of plural first pins, and the plural pins 522 included in the support portion 52a on the +X side are plural second pins. One case. The second rectifying plate 40c is an example of a second member disposed between the plurality of first pins and the plurality of second pins.

The reduced-pressure drying device 1 includes a control unit 70. The control unit 70 may also be configured to include a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that performs various arithmetic processes, and a ROM (Read-Only Memory) that is a memory dedicated to reading basic programs. 2. General computer as RAM (Random Access Memory), which is a free memory for storing and reading various information. The control unit 70 may be provided with an auxiliary storage device that stores application software (programs) for control and various data. By the CPU operating with the application software for control, various functions can be realized. The control unit 70 is communicably connected to the opening/closing unit 10P, the suction mechanism 20, and the elevating drive unit 54 and sends control commands to these to control the operations thereof.

<Action description>

The operation of the vacuum drying process of the vacuum drying apparatus 1 configured as described above will be described. In addition, unless otherwise specified, the operation of the reduced-pressure drying device 1 is executed in response to a control command from the control unit 70.

Fig. 4 is a schematic side view showing the vacuum drying apparatus 1 when the substrate 9 to be processed is carried in. The reduced-pressure drying process includes a carrying-in step S1 of carrying the substrate 9 (the substrate 9 coated with the processing liquid on the upper surface 90) from the outside into the storage space 10S of the chamber 10.

In the carrying-in step S1, the control unit 70 arranges a plurality of support portions 52 (three support portions 52a in the example shown in FIG. 4) corresponding to the support of the substrate 9 to be processed at a predetermined vertical position. The predetermined vertical position is the predetermined position in the vertical direction. Thereafter, the control unit 70 turns on the opening and closing unit 10P. Through the opened and closed portion 10P, a transport device (not shown) transports the substrate 9 into the storage space 10S. Then, a transport device (not shown) places the substrate 9 on each pin 522 of the plurality of support portions 52. As a result, the substrate 9 is held in the upper position L1 (first substrate position).

The conveying device may include, for example, a plurality of fingers 80 extending along the Y-axis direction on the lower surface of the support substrate 9. The plurality of fingers 80 may include one or more fingers 80 that enter between the support portion 52b disposed near the -X side position and the support portion 52a disposed at the center position, and may enter and be disposed at the center position One or more finger portions 80 (see FIG. 4) at a position between the supporting portion 52b and the supporting portion 52a disposed at the +X side position. Each finger portion 80 of the support substrate 9 enters the storage space 10S via the opening and closing portion 10P, and thereafter, the finger portion 80 moves downward between the corresponding support portions 52. As a result, the substrate 9 is transferred to the support portions 52 in a state where the fingers 80 and the support portions 52 do not interfere.

FIG. 5 is a schematic side view showing the reduced-pressure drying device 1 when exhausting is started. When the carry-in step S1 ends, the exhaust step S2 is performed. In the exhaust step S2, the control unit 70 actuates the suction mechanism 20 to exhaust the ambient gas in the storage space 10S from the plurality of exhaust ports 14.

As shown in FIG. 5, the ambient gas in the storage space 10S moves toward the exhaust port 14. Here, the direction in which the ambient gas in the storage space 10S moves toward the exhaust port 14 is changed by the second rectifying plates 40a to 40d. In detail, the traveling direction of the ambient gas on the second rectifying plates 40a, 40b, 40c, and 40d is changed to the horizontal direction toward the ends by the upper surfaces that are horizontal planes. Then, the ambient gas passes downward through the gap between the second rectifying plate 40a and the second rectifying plate 40b, the gap between the second rectifying plate 40b and the second rectifying plate 40c, the gap between the second rectifying plate 40c and the second rectifying plate 40d, and The gap between the wall surface 104 surrounding the four sides of the storage space 10S and the end of each of the second rectifying plates 40a, 40b, 40c, and 40d moves downward under the second rectifying plates 40a, 40b, 40c, and 40d.

In addition, the direction in which the ambient gas moves toward the exhaust port 14 is changed by the plurality of first rectifying plates 30. In detail, the traveling direction of the ambient gas moving below the second rectifier plates 40a, 40b, 40c, and 40d is determined by a plurality of first rectifier plates 30 (-X side first rectifier plates 30a and + The upper surface of the X-side first rectifier plate 30b) is changed to face the horizontal direction of the end portions (including the -X-side end portion 32a and the +X-side end portion 32b) of the plurality of first rectifier plates 30. Furthermore, the traveling direction of the ambient gas moving below the second rectifier plates 40a, 40b, 40c, 40d is changed to the bottom surface 100 (outer surface 102) by the bottom surface 100 (outer surface 102) which is a horizontal plane ) In the horizontal direction of the inner edge of the recess 12 at the end of the end. Thereafter, the gap between the inner edge of the recess 12 (including the -X side edge 124a and the +X side edge 124b) and the peripheral end of the first fairing plate 30 (including the -X side gap 34a and +X) The side gap 34b) moves downward, thereby entering each recess 12. Then, it is discharged to the outside through the exhaust port 14 in each recess 12.

After the exhaust step S2 starts, a large amount of ambient gas exists in the storage space 10S, so the flow rate of the ambient gas becomes larger near the exhaust port 14. In the present embodiment, after the start of the exhaust step S2, the substrate 9 is disposed at the first substrate position L1 near the exhaust port 14 where the flow rate is increased so as to suppress coating on the upper surface 90 The surface of the treatment liquid is chaotic and bumping. This can reduce the occurrence of uneven drying in the treatment liquid.

FIG. 6 is a schematic side view showing the reduced-pressure drying device 1 when a predetermined time has passed after the start of exhaust. Between the exhaust step S2, a descending step S3 is performed. In the lowering step S3, the control unit 70 lowers the plurality of support units 52 after a predetermined time (first predetermined time) has elapsed after starting the exhaust. As a result, the substrate 9 moves from the upper position L1 to the lower position L2 (second substrate position). The lower position L2 is a position lower in the vertical direction than the upper position L1 and close to the exhaust port 14.

Since the lower position L2 is closer to the exhaust port 14 than the upper position L1, the ambient gas is relatively lean and the air pressure is low. Therefore, by disposing the substrate 9 at the lower position L2, the processing liquid of the substrate 9 can be efficiently dried. Here, even if the substrate 9 is arranged at the lower position L2, since the flow velocity of the ambient gas around the substrate 9 is small, there is a low possibility of causing chaos on the surface of the processing liquid or bumping of the processing liquid. The reason is that the first predetermined time has passed after the start of exhaust.

7 is a schematic side view showing the vacuum drying apparatus 1 when the processed substrate 9 is carried out. When the exhaust step S3 ends, the carry-out step S4 is performed. In the unloading step S4, the control unit 70 stops the exhaust after a predetermined time (second predetermined time) elapses after starting the exhaust. As a result, the flow of ambient gas remaining in the storage space 10S is stopped. Then, by opening the atmosphere of the storage space 10S, the air pressure in the storage space 10S is restored. The opening of the atmosphere in the storage space 10S may be performed through the exhaust port 14 or may be performed through an intake port (not shown).

In the unloading step S4, the control portion 70 raises the plurality of support portions 52 of the support substrate 9 to move the substrate 9 from the lower position L2 to the upper position L1. Furthermore, the atmosphere of the storage space 10S may be opened after the substrate 9 is moved from the lower position L2 to the upper position L1, or during the period when the substrate 9 is moved from the lower position L2 toward the upper position L1.

When the control unit 70 opens the opening/closing unit 10P, the transport device (not shown) picks up the substrate 9 supported at the upper position L1 via the opened opening/closing unit 10P, and removes the substrate 9 from the storage space 10S.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, in the reduced-pressure drying device 1, an exhaust port 14 is provided in a concave portion 12 that is an excavation portion provided on the bottom surface 100 of the chamber 10. Therefore, since the opening of the recessed portion 12 is larger than the exhaust port 14, the appearance area of the exhaust port 14 can be increased. Thereby, in the exhaust step S2, the flow velocity of the ambient gas toward the exhaust port 14 can be reduced.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, in the reduced-pressure drying device 1, the first rectifying plate 30 covers the upper portion of the exhaust port 14. The first rectifying plate 30 can prevent the ambient air above the first rectifying plate 30 of the storage space 10S from being directly sucked toward the exhaust port 14. Since the ambient gas is sucked from around the first rectifying plate 30 toward the lower side of the first rectifying plate 30, the suction port of the ambient gas observed from the substrate 9 can be enlarged in appearance and dispersed. With this, the flow velocity of the ambient gas around the substrate 9 can be reduced.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, in the reduced-pressure drying device 1, the inner edge of the recess 12 and the first rectifier plate 30 are covered by the second rectifier plate 40 (second rectifier plates 40 a, 40 b, 40 c, and 40 d). Above the gap (-X side gap 34a and +X side gap 34b). This can prevent the ambient air directly above the second rectifying plate 40 from being directly sucked into the gap between the recess 12 and the first rectifying plate 30. Since the ambient gas is sucked into the lower portion of the second rectifying plate 40 from around the second rectifier plate 40, the suction port of the ambient gas viewed from the substrate 9 can be enlarged in appearance and can be dispersed. Thereby, the flow velocity of the ambient gas around the substrate 9 can be reduced.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the gap between the second rectifier plate 40 and the first rectifier plate 30, the gap between the second rectifier plate 40 and the bottom surface 100 (outer surface 102 ), and the gap between the first rectifier plate 30 and the bottom surface 120 , Expanding along the horizontal direction respectively. Therefore, since the ambient gas in the storage space 10S passes through these gaps before reaching the exhaust port 14 provided on the lower side in the vertical direction, the direction of the air flow is changed into a zigzag pattern in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction. In this case, compared with the case where the first rectifying plate 30 and the second rectifying plate 40 are not provided, the total distance of the passage through which the ambient gas flows can be made longer. This can reduce the flow velocity of the ambient gas.

By making the first rectifying plate 30 and the second rectifying plate 40 into a flat plate shape, it is possible to suppress the disorder of the air flow on the surfaces of these. Furthermore, by making the bottom surface 100 (outer surface 102) of the chamber 10 and the bottom surface 120 of the recess 12 also flat, it is possible to suppress the disorder of the airflow on these surfaces.

<2. Modifications>

Although the embodiments have been described above, the present invention is not limited to those described above, and various modifications can be made.

In the above-described embodiment, the exhaust port 14 is provided on the bottom surface 120 of the recess 12 in the depth direction of the recess, but may also be provided on the inner wall surface 122 of the recess 12.

In the above embodiment, the exhaust port 14 is provided in the concave portion 12 provided on the bottom surface 100 on the lower side in the vertical direction. The exhaust port 14 may face the storage space 10S and be provided on the wall surface 104 that rises upward in the vertical direction from the outer peripheral end of the bottom surface 100.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a reduced-pressure drying device 1A according to a modification. In the above-mentioned embodiment, the first rectifying plate 30 is arranged inside the concave portion 12. As in the reduced-pressure drying apparatus 1A shown in FIG. 8, the first rectifying plate 30 may be provided above the recess 12 (outside the recess 12). In addition, the second rectifying plate 40 (second rectifying plates 40a, 40b, 40c, 40d) may be arranged on the lower side (the side closer to the exhaust port 14) than the first rectifying plate 30, as in the reduced-pressure drying apparatus 1A. ). The second rectifying plate 40 is arranged in the Z-axis direction with the end of the first rectifying plate 30 (-X side end 32a or +X side end 32b) and the inner edge of the recess 12 (-X side edge 124a Or the position where the +X side edge portion 124b) overlaps. That is, when the first rectifier plate 30, the second rectifier plate 40, and the recess 12 are seen through from above in the vertical direction toward the vertical direction (-Z direction), the second rectifier plate 40 is disposed in the storage space The position in 10S that overlaps both the outer peripheral end of the first fairing plate 30 and the inner edge of the recess 12. By providing the second rectifying plate 40 in this way, it is also possible to prevent the situation where the ambient gas is sucked into the gap between the first rectifying plate 30 and the recess 12.

Although the present invention has been described in detail, all the aspects described above are only examples, and the present invention is not limited to those aspects. Countless modifications that are not illustrated can be understood as those that can be considered without exceeding the scope of the present invention. The configurations described in the above embodiments and the modified examples can be appropriately combined or omitted as long as they do not contradict each other.

1‧‧‧Decompression drying device

9‧‧‧ substrate

10‧‧‧ chamber (frame)

10P‧‧‧Opening and closing department

10S‧‧‧ containment space

12‧‧‧recess

12a‧‧‧-X side concave part

12b‧‧‧+X undercut

14‧‧‧Exhaust

20‧‧‧Suction mechanism

30a‧‧‧-X side first rectifier board

30b‧‧‧+X side first rectifier board

32a‧‧‧-X side end

32b‧‧‧+X side end

34a‧‧‧-X side clearance

34b‧‧‧+X side clearance

40a, 40b, 40c, 40d ‧‧‧ 2nd rectifier plate (2nd member)

50‧‧‧ Lifting mechanism

52a, 52b‧‧‧support part (substrate holding part)

54‧‧‧Elevating drive unit (mobile drive unit)

70‧‧‧Control Department

90‧‧‧upper surface

100‧‧‧Bottom (1st side)

102‧‧‧Outer surface

104‧‧‧ Wall

120‧‧‧Bottom

122‧‧‧Inner wall

124a‧‧‧-X side edge (inner edge)

124b‧‧‧+X side edge (inner edge)

520‧‧‧Lifting board

522‧‧‧pin

Claims (11)

A reduced-pressure drying device that dries a processing liquid present on the first main surface of a substrate having a first main surface and a second main surface by reducing pressure; it includes: a frame body, which has A storage space for accommodating the substrate, and having a first surface facing the storage space; a recessed portion, which is provided on the first surface; an exhaust port, which is disposed on a bottom surface in the depth direction of the recessed portion; a suction mechanism, which The ambient gas of the storage space is sucked through the exhaust port; the first member is disposed at a position overlapping the exhaust port in the depth direction in the storage space; the second member is disposed at the above A position spaced apart from the end of the first member and the inner edge of the recess along the depth direction in the storage space and overlapping the end and the inner edge in the depth direction; and the substrate holding A portion that holds the substrate in the storage space at a position opposite to the exhaust port with respect to the first member and the second member. The reduced-pressure drying device according to claim 1, wherein the substrate holding portion includes a plurality of pins that support the second main surface of the substrate. The reduced-pressure drying device according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of pins include: a plurality of first pins, which are arranged along the first direction; and a plurality of second pins, which are equal to the plurality of first pins The pins are arranged along the first direction at intervals in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction; the second member is arranged between the plurality of first pins and the plurality of second pins. The reduced-pressure drying device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: a moving drive section that moves the plurality of pins along the depth direction to move the substrate on the first substrate The position moves between the position of the second substrate closer to the exhaust port than the position of the first substrate. The reduced-pressure drying device according to claim 4, wherein the movement driving section moves the substrate from the position of the first substrate toward the first position after the suction mechanism starts to suck the ambient gas in the storage space through the exhaust port 2 The substrate position moves. The reduced-pressure drying device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first member is provided between the second member and the exhaust port. The reduced-pressure drying device according to claim 6, wherein at least a part of the first member is located in the concave portion. The reduced-pressure drying device according to claim 7, wherein all of the first members are located in the concave portion. The reduced-pressure drying device according to claim 8, wherein the end portion and the inner edge portion are on the same plane. The reduced-pressure drying device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the substrate holding section holds the substrate with the first main surface in a horizontal posture in a vertical direction, the first member, the second The member and the exhaust port are located on the second main surface side of the substrate held by the substrate holding portion. A method of drying under reduced pressure by drying the treatment liquid existing on the first main surface of the substrate having the first main surface and the second main surface by reducing the pressure; The substrate is carried into the storage space having a storage space and a frame facing the first surface of the storage space; and a second step after the first step, through the depth of the recess provided in the first surface The exhaust port on the bottom surface in the direction to suck the ambient gas in the storage space; the second step includes: by being disposed in a position in the storage space that overlaps with the exhaust port in the depth direction The step of changing the direction of the airflow toward the exhaust port by the member; and the distance between the end of the first member and the inner edge of the recess by being disposed in the receiving space along the depth direction The step of changing the direction of the airflow toward the exhaust port by the second member at a position that overlaps with both the end portion and the inner edge portion in the depth direction.

Images